Good chews?

[MushusMommy]

Hi all,

What kind of chews do you give to your pugs? We got Mushu a small beef flavored rawhide bone and he really liked it...until he tried to swallow it and wound up gagging himself. So, no more of that. What do you recommend for a good chew treat? We want him to be safe, but also happy. Thanks for any advice!

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Here is an article I wrote on "chewsing" a chew for our local rescue's newsletter:

Choosing a safe and healthy chew for your pug can be confusing, there are a million options out there and most pugs will happily munch on anything you give them. Heck, mine would chew bolts if they thought their siblings might want them.
Dogs need to chew, especially puppies, but chewing is beneficial to all dogs. It naturally cleans the teeth and is good for their psyche as well, often calming an anxious dog. A pup or dog given attractive and healthy chews is far less likely to destructively chew or develop neurotic behaviors.

First let’s dispel a few myths and marketing untruths: Crunchy treats, Dental Chews, rawhides and bully sticks DO NOT clean your dog’s teeth. Neither does kibble. Most of these are highly processed; contain ingredients that are not good for your pug, and some pose a real choking hazard. They are also expensive. Cooked bones of any kind are a definite no-no as they can splinter, even larger bones, and can cause irritation or even perforation of the digestive tract.
So what are good, safe, healthy alternatives?
Raw beef marrow bones are tops on my list as well as raw beef rib bones. Raw bones do not splinter as easily as cooked bones do. To be safe, I always choose bones that are too large for my pug to break. These scrape and clean the teeth as nature intended, naturally remove decayed teeth and puppy teeth and they keep the dog happily occupied for hours on end. Dogs have a different digestive system than humans and are not normally susceptible to pathogens like salmonella and E. coli that humans are vulnerable to. However you should always wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw bones. The marrow in the center of marrow bones is rich, very tasty and packed full of nutrients; however it is too rich for some dogs, so if your dog’s tummy gets upset, just remove the marrow before feeding the bone. Raw bones are a VERY high value treat, if you have multiple dogs, separate them when feeding raw bones to avoid fights.

Next up on the excellent chews list would be deer antlers and deer and cow hooves. These should be unfilled and minimally processed. I recommend buying deer antlers that have a lot of the “core” exposed. That is what they like to chew, not so much the outer part. I try to find antler pieces that are split lengthwise with lots of core easily accessed. Deer antlers are hard, similar to bone, and last a very long time. They do not splinter. Most pugs do not have the jaw strength to crack or break a deer antler. Deer and cow hooves are relished by most dogs, and are a safe and good treat, the drawbacks are that they tend to become smelly over time and hurt if you step on them with bare feet at night!

A Kong filled with natural, unsalted peanut butter, plain yogurt or raw ground meat, frozen and provided to your pug will keep them busy for hours.
Also, good old-fashioned Nylabones, not the edible kind, are a favorite of many dogs and of owner a little squeamish about raw bones. Choose a size that your pug can fit his mouth around, but not so small that he may swallow it. Discard it when he has chewed away the knobby ends.

Now some don’ts: NEVER feed your pug rawhide treats. Rawhide is very hard on their digestive tract.
Treats like Dental sticks and Greenies pose a choking hazard as many dogs swallow them and they can also cause blockages. They contain a lot of artificial ingredients and stuff your dog doesn’t need, so avoid them.
Pig ears and bully sticks are very popular, but can pose a choking hazard when they become soft or small enough the dog can attempt to swallow them. They can also pose a blockage problem if the dog swallows larger pieces. If you choose to feed these, never give them unsupervised and discard them when they become soft or small enough to attempt to swallow.
Raw vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, potatoes and apples are not tolerated well by the canine digestive tract and should be avoided. These unnecessary carbohydrates can also provide food for yeast infections, which pugs can be prone to.
NOTE: If you have large and small dogs please make sure you do not leave small bones or chews out for large dogs to find, as they can be a hazard if swallowed or broken.
Happy chewing!!

Lisa Smith

[Tinker's mom]

Tinker loves her nylabones.

[MushusMommy]

Thanks for the tips! Mushu has a nylabone, but we wanted to get him something "tasty." Although, he seems content with the bone!

[Pat's Crew]

I use raw bones here too for my dogs...........they last a long long time
I get them from a local butcher shop and they are cheap too..
3.00 a huge shopping bag full...
I always give the pugs ones that are HUGE

not one of the dogs here showed any interest in the nylabone once they got a real bone...lol

[snowsprite]

I have a hard time finding raw meaty bones for my pugs, as the only kind Sugarbear can tolerate so far is llama, which is very hard to find. We have split elk antlers, which aren't that big of a hit but are used once in a while. I've been buying a lot of the Himalayan dog chews, which are expensive, but last a long time compared to other chews like rawhide or bullies. They really really love them. And they don't smell!